Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
Particle Agglutination Method for Poliovirus Identification
Published on: April 20, 2011
DETECTION OF THE VIRUS OF POLIOMYELITIS IN THE NOSE AND THROAT AND GASTRO-INTESTINAL TRACT OF HUMAN BEINGS AND
S D Kramer1, B Hoskwith, L H Grossman
1Laboratories of the Infantile Paralysis Commission of the Long Island College of Medicine, and the Jewish Hospital, Brooklyn, New York.
Abstract:
Five strains of virus were recovered from nasal washings and feces. Four strains were of human origin, the fifth strain came from a monkey sacrificed at the height of the disease. Of the four human strains the first was isolated from the feces of a 14 year old child 7 days after the onset of illness. The second strain was from the nasal washings of a 6(1/2) year old child, 5 days after the onset of illness. The third and fourth strains were recovered from the same patient, a 2(1/2) year old child, 9 days after the onset of illness. One of these strains was obtained from nasopharyngeal washings and the other from the feces. The single monkey strain was isolated from the upper intestinal segment and appears to be the only instance of its isolation from this source in the literature. We believe that the detection of the virus in the nasal washings of two additional patients during convalescence lends further support to the belief that the virus of poliomyelitis is spread by human contact. Furthermore, the recovery of the virus from the gastro-intestinal tract with as great or greater frequency as from the upper respiratory tract, need not, it appears to us, alter our concept of the mode of entrance of the virus into the body, namely, by way of the upper respiratory tract. If the presence of the virus is conceded, then a consideration of the physiologic passage of nasal and oral secretions into the gastro-intestinal tract by reflex swallowing would serve to explain adequately the presence of the virus in those organs. It might even be further predicated that since the gastro-intestinal tract functions as a temporary reservoir for secretions from the upper respiratory tract, the gut should, after a time, contain the virus in higher concentration than any single sample of secretion obtained from the upper respiratory tract by nasal washing. It appears to us that failures to detect the virus in the gastro-intestinal tract are perhaps more indicative of inadequate procedures for its detection than of its absence. The recovery of the virus from the feces 7 and 9 days after the onset of illness takes on added significance. It indicates first, that the virus withstands the gastric acidity which under normal physiological conditions tends to keep gastric contents relatively free of bacteria. It further suggests that improper disposal of feces from patients with poliomyelitis may have serious public health consequences, particularly in smaller communities where inadequate sewage disposal may result in contamination of surrounding beaches or even local water systems.
Insights
Poliomyelitis virus was found in nasal washings and feces of infected individuals and a monkey. This supports human transmission and highlights the importance of proper waste disposal to prevent public health risks.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Poliomyelitis virus detection is crucial for understanding transmission routes.
- Previous studies have focused on respiratory shedding, but gastrointestinal shedding requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the presence and distribution of poliomyelitis virus in different bodily secretions.
- To assess the implications of viral shedding in feces for public health and transmission dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Virus isolation from nasal washings and fecal samples of human patients and a poliomyelitis-infected monkey.
- Analysis of viral presence at different time points post-illness onset.
Main Results:
- Five virus strains were isolated: four from human sources (nasal washings and feces) and one from a monkey (upper intestinal tract).
- Virus was detected in human fecal samples up to 9 days post-illness onset and in nasal washings during convalescence.
- The monkey strain represents a novel isolation from the upper intestinal segment.
Conclusions:
- Detection of the virus in nasal washings during convalescence supports transmission through human contact.
- Gastrointestinal shedding is significant and may occur due to physiological swallowing of respiratory secretions.
- The virus's resilience to gastric acidity and prolonged presence in feces underscore the public health risks associated with improper disposal of infected waste.
